So just how did Byron recover from his serious injury in order to do that? The troll blood theory is sounding mighty interesting. Doubt it was Bandit, she lacks the strength.
One of the most noted and feared abilities of the Berserker was to fight on despite the infliction of grievous injury. Mostly this was due to all the drugs they were on clenching their muscles to such a degree that it stymied bleeding, but I’m willing to bet Byrons running on Mom’s Good Old Fashion Rage…served piping hot.
Byron’s flashback suggests that he is the real thing, not the fake berserk barbarians are known for that lasts a few minutes and can tell friend from foe. A true Bearsarker kills until there is nothing left to kill. Friends, foes, women, children-they all die. By legend it takes 40 men working together to take down such a berserker, most of whom will be dead by the end of the fight. This would also explain why he is so calm and controlled most of the time, to keep his anger in check, and how he was able to resist the spell of rage and madness-it was nothing compared to the madness he represses every day.
For those who missed it, ( or perhaps where just being silly ) Syr’Nj’s elaborate tattoo is apparently a woodelf mark of royalty which she has kept conveniently covered until now.
It could easily not be Byron simply because it’s too obvious. And unless the GA authors used “plot cloak” wouldn’t we have seen Byron coming from behind in panel 5?
It only looks that way because you’re seeing it from the perspective of someone who’s on the ground, and remember that he is seven feet or more in height. Seeing something getting thrown and go straight in would look upwards from that angle.
In World of Warcraft, your character has a Hearthstone that they can use to teleport to an inn. Hence the term “hearth.” Provided you’re not in combat, it’s a good way to get the hell outta Dodge especially when you don’t want to hack your way out of a cave full of mobs.
Further, the Shaman class has an ability called Astral Recall, which allows them to return to the in they bound a hearthstone to, without needing to actually carry a hearthstone.
Mr. Picard, I misread your comment and was about to reproach you for being crude.
Also, ever think that maybe Harki is a massive dick and some of those people wouldn’t mind him gone? I mean, the Owlman Chancellor… Well, you know how chancellor’s are. He’s probably quivering with glee.
I’d like to point out that when you’re in a stadium being watched by a huge crowd, there is, in general, someone shouting about pretty much anything you can think of at any given moment.
In a situation where you’re about to stamp someone to death, the volume in the crowd goes up, largely as most people start cheering. In a situation where someone’s running up behind you to stab you in the back, the volume in the crowd goes up, most likely as people start shouting.
Angle suggests shorter than…. but most of them ARE. Still, Bandit is PISSED, and while gnomes aren’t dwarves, they aren’t scrawny little nothings either. She’s outmaneuvered and outran a bunch of guys twice her size.
Now that I think of it, with the way he was just balancing on one foot and preparing to lay the stomp on Syr’nj I expect him to be knocked prone by that hit. Or at least dropped to all fours.
Frigg tried, and if Frigg can’t do it, can’t no one do it, methinks.
Please, please not Best! PLEASE! How would he even know to show up? And wasn’t he pissed at the lot of them when he left? For not appreciated the gift to the world that is him?
Oh? Interesting… Perhaps Iver has decided a change in leadership is needed? Or some “savage race” person thought it? Is it stereotypically racist of me to think this is how they do succession amongst their leaders? ;)
…given that none of the other, fairly major wounds he’s received have had any effect, I’m a bit skeptical that this one will. It’s beginning to look like nothing short of someone beheading him in one clean stroke, or dropping a ginormous weight on him from above, can finish him off. I assume Arky will bite it eventually, but at this point the payoff is gonna have to be huge to be at all plausible within the parameters we’ve been shown.
Syr’Nj would be in charge of something as sciency as acid. Possibly in the empty vial from a couple of pages ago when she was checking Byron’s pulse.
So, my theory…. Syr’Nj grabs a her short sword and acid from her bag of holding, and maybe a potion for Byron (her potions have normally been readied in hypodermics, suggesting the open vial was not for administration to things with blood vessels) and she doses the sword with acid ready for a desperate attack on Harky. She checks Byron and realises a groggy Byron will recover full consciousness in shortly. She realise their best chance for victory, and Byron’s survival, is to draw Harky off with the bow (a weapon with which she appear proficient but is through lack of skill or firepower unable to deal sufficent damage to a major organ), knowing that Byron will come round, understand the tactical situation, and will possibly be able to strike Harky in a vital area with the acid coated sword, although she herself may have already been killed.
Syr’Nj would know she would be unlikely to inflict a major wound on Harky with either the sword or arrows herself and therefore would not get much benefit from an acidised weapon.
I submit that this would be clever, noble, self-sacrificing and bad-ass. And therefore Syr’Nj.
Anything else is recoverable ?! Are you kidding ?
Recovering from a little slash to the back of the ankles is something.
But recovering from a spear or a sword piercing right through your body, severing your spine or taking out your heart or one lung – or all of the three in the process – is clearly something much more serious.
And even if he recovers, it would take much more time thatn for his ankles, wouldn’t it ?
If it’s Troll regen à la DnD, then Biology, Physics, and Chemistry mean nothing. A drop of acid, and regen is gone. Put in a giant blender that’s on full, entirely recoverable.
Yup. Old style trolls (AD&D) literally could have all their limbs chopped off..and would regenerate them all in a matter of moments.
Newer trolls (D&D 3.5) heal fast, and though you CAN drop them if you dish out enough damage in a round, they’ll just stand up again, unless you douse them in fire or acid.
They can regenerate from a decapitation in 3.5, so fire or acid tend to be the only things. Disintegration works too. Water trolls regenerate faster in water, and their flesh regains the regen if doused in water, which sucks if you don’t know. :3
Woo, Troll Talk on GA! And it’s not about internet ones either!
I can think of so many ways panel 2 could have looked terrible. But it is flawless. <3
Trolls seem scary. I can almost sympathize with the Gastonian foreign policy.
Thanks to Mythbusters, and a little known fellow named Isaac Newton, there are two answers. If the arrow happened to go exactly vertical then it would tumble back to the ground at terminal velocity. This is the weaker impact.
However, it’s damn near impossible to make anything do that. Meaning the arrows will follow a parabolic arc and land with about the same force as it was shot with, but likely well out of the arena.
actually, this isn’t entirely correct. the arrow would be turned by wind unless the air is completely still, and by air resistance unless perfectly uniform.
Assuming there’s no air and it went exactly straight up, it’d hit the point it was launched, nock first, at launch velocity.
What’ll actually happen is that it’ll come down somewhere nearby, point first, at about launch velocity, yes. Lose a bit to air resistance both ways. Assuming full draw, though, it’s still enough to kill a normal human.
I disagree. The Coriolis Effect would not allow for the arrow to land at the point where it was launched…assuming, of course, that the GA world rotates as most planets do…
You, you actually have a functioning copy of Betrayal at Krondor? I will need to kill you and take you game, you do realise this, don’t you? It’s the best game since Zorc.
You might want to google for it! There’s a pretty famous (at least since last year) legit online store that carries it. :) (Really trying not to advertise here.)
Yeah, it works.
Now, back to the story: Who wields the Troll-Sticker? My bet’s on Byron.
yes, Hearth represents your Hearthstone that everycharacter has. 10 Second cast, takes you home. I was actually in a dungeon where you only fight a Big ass Dragon(onyxia) The group failed horribly. I used my “Fade into background” ability while she was going around one shotting people and managed to teleport out.
Silly warrior, you can’t use execute until harki is below 20% health. At least, I’m hoping its Byron, this may just be epic enough to make up for all that fail. Isn’t it time for some bad hero pun…. like, “Diplomacy may have failed, but I think he got the point”
oh c’mon. You *know* Syr’nj HAD to have done some alchemical nastiness to those arrows she fired off. Something to stifle the regen perhaps, so Harki can think he’s able to absorb damage rather than dodge it…until it’s too late?
If our revealed-elven royalty didn’t take the opportunity to mix some wicked philtres I’m gonna be sorely disappointed..for Science!
I was just thinking that, actually. “What if that’s just some sort of awesome magic skill of his, and he’s just sprouting a chest-blade to kill Syr with?” I mean, improbable to the point of being impossible, but that would be oh-so BADASS.
OH COME ON, BYRON. Stop being such a terrible Berserker. A REAL man would have just screamed bloody murder, tackled him to the ground when he turned around, and ripped his skull from his shoulders. With spine still attached. And then used the recently forged “Skull flail” to slaughter the fodder enemies.
Honestly, I think it’s Byron. Not solely because of any “berserk” ability (though he may possess such a state), but rather because of what we know about him; namely that he was the supposedly only survivor of the War That Felled Battleshire. The ONLY survivor.
This seems to suggest that he has supernatural fighting abilities. Or does it? Given what we’ve seen, no he doesn’t. He’s gotten his clock cleaned many, many times. Perhaps Byron isn’t a brilliant fighter, but a supernatural SURVIVOR. Maybe Harki isn’t the only one with magically fast healing going on. And maybe when Byron gets up after such a wound, he’s really, really mad. Mayhap some Troll blood of his own, perchance?
Since I’m basically allergic to speculation, I’ve decided that I’m going to wait ’till I see the prong and the serrations before falling in with the “Byron’s got Harki’s spear crowd.” With that said, that certainly does seem like the most likely/satisfying scenario.
My money was on Badit at first sense she was the only one not down for the count bun then someone pointed out that spear was still in Byrons back (Syr’nj didn’t have the strengh to pull it out, I doubt Badit does)
If this is Byron and he did in fact get up and pull that spear out of his back to impale the Troll… this comic will make me very happy!
We actually have no idea if Bandit’s stronger than Syr’nj. Nor anyone else for that matter.
Assuming she isn’t just because she’s smaller makes no sense in a fantasy setting.
On topic though, I will be a very happy person if that’s Byron on the other end of the spear.
Technically, the word “berserker” doesn’t come from the word meaning “really, really, angry”. In fact, quite the opposite. A Bearsarkar, meaning someone wearing a bear sark (i.e., the pelt of a bear), eventually became (due to linguistic evolution) the word berserker, which lent itself to the phrase “going berserk”. Ergo, we can safely assume that the world of GA has metal bears from which the material that makes up Byron’s armor is taken.
Byron has been going by Berserker befor he got the armor, plus Frigg aleady referd to Berserker as “RWARWARWAR, ARGHLEBARGHLE Anger management issues Berserker”
Guess we just never seen Byron pissed off. http://guildedage.net/webcomic/chapter-2/chapter-2-page-23/
Just got back from a short trip to Mexico…must get up early for work tomorrow…will still be hanging around my computer at midnight-ish to see what happens. ;-)
Discussion (159) ¬
Is that his own spear? How nice of someone to return his lost property.
I hope it is. I love it when villains are hoist by their own petard. Or, in this case, stabbed by their own pointy thing.
Byron must’ve given him a hug with the spear stuck through his chest
Cue background data in three… two… ONE. We have plot point Houston! I repeat, we have plot point!
KA-PLOT
KA-SPLORTCH
KA-PEA..
oh…
KA-CHING!!
…Later when they go looting! ;)
TELPROT!
So just how did Byron recover from his serious injury in order to do that? The troll blood theory is sounding mighty interesting. Doubt it was Bandit, she lacks the strength.
One of the most noted and feared abilities of the Berserker was to fight on despite the infliction of grievous injury. Mostly this was due to all the drugs they were on clenching their muscles to such a degree that it stymied bleeding, but I’m willing to bet Byrons running on Mom’s Good Old Fashion Rage…served piping hot.
Chances are high for that one. Berskers don’t take that kinda crap. I mean how pissed would you be if someone just nearly one-shotted you.
“Oh yeah, Backstab! Triple Damage!”
Would have been better with a makeshift ballista.
Fired from an upside-down chair no less…
There HAS to be a rule about that in the book somewhere….
The arrow fired in panel two will become critically important within the next two strips.
one up one down.
Maybe it’ll hit Byron.
http://www.onlineforextrading.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/spock-logic.jpg
Well, if you’re a berserk (even a mostly-fake berserk) seeing someone you care about threatened with death could be an activating factor…
Byron’s flashback suggests that he is the real thing, not the fake berserk barbarians are known for that lasts a few minutes and can tell friend from foe. A true Bearsarker kills until there is nothing left to kill. Friends, foes, women, children-they all die. By legend it takes 40 men working together to take down such a berserker, most of whom will be dead by the end of the fight. This would also explain why he is so calm and controlled most of the time, to keep his anger in check, and how he was able to resist the spell of rage and madness-it was nothing compared to the madness he represses every day.
WHAT?! WHO?! ROYALTY? CLOUDS?
what if it’s f’in BEST?
Syr’nj’s tattoo evidently indicates royal blood. Odd how this person knows that.
Harki obviously has knowledge skills.
For those who missed it, ( or perhaps where just being silly ) Syr’Nj’s elaborate tattoo is apparently a woodelf mark of royalty which she has kept conveniently covered until now.
No wonder she has daddy issues.
My gold’s on Gravedust. C’mon Gravedust.
(Yes, I know it’s definitely Byron.)
It could easily not be Byron simply because it’s too obvious. And unless the GA authors used “plot cloak” wouldn’t we have seen Byron coming from behind in panel 5?
Bandit is also a possibility, we never saw her incapacitated.
I dunno. With perspective, and the proper angle, it’s feasible that we wouldn’t have seen whoever it is coming
Keep in mind that the spear could also have been thrown.
upwards?
It only looks that way because you’re seeing it from the perspective of someone who’s on the ground, and remember that he is seven feet or more in height. Seeing something getting thrown and go straight in would look upwards from that angle.
Hoisted by your own Picard.
My vote is Bandit standing on Gravedust’s shoulders. :-)
If it IS Byron, I’d rather have preferred him to take Harki out with one of his Axe-Pauldrons.
The alt text is made of win
Damnit, why isn’t there a shaman there for an astral recall!
i am afraid I don’t get it
In World of Warcraft, your character has a Hearthstone that they can use to teleport to an inn. Hence the term “hearth.” Provided you’re not in combat, it’s a good way to get the hell outta Dodge especially when you don’t want to hack your way out of a cave full of mobs.
Further, the Shaman class has an ability called Astral Recall, which allows them to return to the in they bound a hearthstone to, without needing to actually carry a hearthstone.
One thing, guys: they’re not out of combat YET.
And there’s no paladin for the good ol’ bubble hearth.
ahh I see now, I don’t play WoW, much obliged
OK assuming that was his spear and the spear is still in Byron the next comic should start with the worst piggy back ride ever
oh that has GOT to be it. Guys, scrap whatever you came up with and do this!
With Bandit hanging on the other end of the spear going ‘merp’
I’m tempted to make a crack about “Surprise Butt-Seax” but that would be tacky. Like half-dried blood.
It coult totally be one of byron’s axe shoulderblades.
no wait.
Oh god, you were completely right.
As such, I stole your line. Sorry, pal. :P
It’s cool, just be sure to thank me in the credits.
Oooh, nice tats Syr.
Funny that there’s a huge crowd around yet nobody thought to warn Harky about the backstabber. Ah well…
Yeah, but you see that in sport all the time. Someone gets tackled while meandering along with the ball, despite 50,000 screaming fans.
Backstabber is an option, but spears can be thrown too…
Mr. Picard, I misread your comment and was about to reproach you for being crude.
Also, ever think that maybe Harki is a massive dick and some of those people wouldn’t mind him gone? I mean, the Owlman Chancellor… Well, you know how chancellor’s are. He’s probably quivering with glee.
I’d like to point out that when you’re in a stadium being watched by a huge crowd, there is, in general, someone shouting about pretty much anything you can think of at any given moment.
In a situation where you’re about to stamp someone to death, the volume in the crowd goes up, largely as most people start cheering. In a situation where someone’s running up behind you to stab you in the back, the volume in the crowd goes up, most likely as people start shouting.
You can’t really tell the difference.
And yes, I have been in both situations.
About effing time Byron woke up.
Unless it was Gravedust.
Unless it was Best, which would be kind of annoying.
I can’t see it being Bandit; she just doesn’t have the strength to pop a troll’s sternum. From the back.
Angle suggests shorter than…. but most of them ARE. Still, Bandit is PISSED, and while gnomes aren’t dwarves, they aren’t scrawny little nothings either. She’s outmaneuvered and outran a bunch of guys twice her size.
In response to the tat reveal:
http://www.dramabutton.com/
Now that I think of it, with the way he was just balancing on one foot and preparing to lay the stomp on Syr’nj I expect him to be knocked prone by that hit. Or at least dropped to all fours.
I was wearing headphones an pressed that…. thanks.
Maybe the arrow in the air was the signal for Best to attack from the crowds.
You know…what if the gem in his gut is helping him? How bout they break that damn thing?
Frigg tried, and if Frigg can’t do it, can’t no one do it, methinks.
Please, please not Best! PLEASE! How would he even know to show up? And wasn’t he pissed at the lot of them when he left? For not appreciated the gift to the world that is him?
+1 : Let’s hope it’s not Best. I hate his guts. Like many out there hate him too.
Third vote for Not Best.
We love you Best!
Go Best! :D
Literally. Go away and never come back. Go, Best, go.
So you want him to put his Best foot forward?
oh please! monsters with big red glowing weak points? that is so passe.
Quick! Strike his weak point for massive damage!
I suspect entirely new character, or at least none of our heroes. Because none of them actually use swords.
Oh? Interesting… Perhaps Iver has decided a change in leadership is needed? Or some “savage race” person thought it? Is it stereotypically racist of me to think this is how they do succession amongst their leaders? ;)
Yes, you’re a fantasy racist. Rated pg-13.
have you seen anybody in Guilded Age use a sword? I think it’s a stylistic feature of the series.
There was… Uh… Well… Someone. I know SOMEONE used a sword. The air pirates?
That’s it, a random background air pirate has come to the rescue!
Syr’nj used a sword while fighting alongside Frigg during one of the arcs.
The end comes to too gradual a point to be a normal sword (or so the perspective makes it look). I thought it was a spear.
Yeah, okay, stab through the back, woohoo, but…
…given that none of the other, fairly major wounds he’s received have had any effect, I’m a bit skeptical that this one will. It’s beginning to look like nothing short of someone beheading him in one clean stroke, or dropping a ginormous weight on him from above, can finish him off. I assume Arky will bite it eventually, but at this point the payoff is gonna have to be huge to be at all plausible within the parameters we’ve been shown.
Hack him up badly enough that he’s more or less unable to move, and then light a couple sticks of science and stuff ’em in his mouth.
Depending on the angle, that’s either going through the spine or a lung. That’s got to do something that the troll can’t just laugh off.
he doesn’t look best pleased.
If it’s troll regeneration a la D&D nothing short of acid or fire will finish him. Everything else is recoverable.
All right, then. Which of you (still mobile) heroes was in charge of the acid and fire?
Whaddya mean, you all thought someone else was?
Syr’Nj would be in charge of something as sciency as acid. Possibly in the empty vial from a couple of pages ago when she was checking Byron’s pulse.
So, my theory…. Syr’Nj grabs a her short sword and acid from her bag of holding, and maybe a potion for Byron (her potions have normally been readied in hypodermics, suggesting the open vial was not for administration to things with blood vessels) and she doses the sword with acid ready for a desperate attack on Harky. She checks Byron and realises a groggy Byron will recover full consciousness in shortly. She realise their best chance for victory, and Byron’s survival, is to draw Harky off with the bow (a weapon with which she appear proficient but is through lack of skill or firepower unable to deal sufficent damage to a major organ), knowing that Byron will come round, understand the tactical situation, and will possibly be able to strike Harky in a vital area with the acid coated sword, although she herself may have already been killed.
Syr’Nj would know she would be unlikely to inflict a major wound on Harky with either the sword or arrows herself and therefore would not get much benefit from an acidised weapon.
I submit that this would be clever, noble, self-sacrificing and bad-ass. And therefore Syr’Nj.
Mighty good thing Phil and T aren’t necessarily following D&D rules, then.
Anything else is recoverable ?! Are you kidding ?
Recovering from a little slash to the back of the ankles is something.
But recovering from a spear or a sword piercing right through your body, severing your spine or taking out your heart or one lung – or all of the three in the process – is clearly something much more serious.
And even if he recovers, it would take much more time thatn for his ankles, wouldn’t it ?
If it’s Troll regen à la DnD, then Biology, Physics, and Chemistry mean nothing. A drop of acid, and regen is gone. Put in a giant blender that’s on full, entirely recoverable.
Is it trolls where a head wound doesn’t count as fatal for hitting a vital areal? I can’t remember the specifics.
Yup. Old style trolls (AD&D) literally could have all their limbs chopped off..and would regenerate them all in a matter of moments.
Newer trolls (D&D 3.5) heal fast, and though you CAN drop them if you dish out enough damage in a round, they’ll just stand up again, unless you douse them in fire or acid.
I thought trolls died in DnD at some appropriately large number, it’s just the regen makes going there harder. Fire and Acid just stop the regen.
They can regenerate from a decapitation in 3.5, so fire or acid tend to be the only things. Disintegration works too. Water trolls regenerate faster in water, and their flesh regains the regen if doused in water, which sucks if you don’t know. :3
Woo, Troll Talk on GA! And it’s not about internet ones either!
I can think of so many ways panel 2 could have looked terrible. But it is flawless. <3
Trolls seem scary. I can almost sympathize with the Gastonian foreign policy.
Has anyone else made the connection that this guy is a Treasure Troll?
…
Ohhh GOD how I hate you for pointing that out. With the fire of a thousand suns.
That’d take care of the Regen problem, alright.
I can’t believe I never made that connection, and I now can’t believe how much I cannot unsee what I have seen. Ugh.
Awesome. Why did I have to google this? WHY??!
Wat.
Shiny non-official Gold Star.
And Damn You.
I actually had. But I didn’t know they were called “Treasure” Trolls. We always just called ’em Troll Dolls.
Treasure Trolls are the sub category of troll dolls that specifically have the gemstone in their bellybutton.
Could that be the spirits in the arrows bursting out from the inside? Or some other science thing Syr’nj added to the arrows?
Would an arrow fired straight up come down again with enough force to penetrate his brain and would that be enough to kill him before he healed?
Thanks to Mythbusters, and a little known fellow named Isaac Newton, there are two answers. If the arrow happened to go exactly vertical then it would tumble back to the ground at terminal velocity. This is the weaker impact.
However, it’s damn near impossible to make anything do that. Meaning the arrows will follow a parabolic arc and land with about the same force as it was shot with, but likely well out of the arena.
actually, this isn’t entirely correct. the arrow would be turned by wind unless the air is completely still, and by air resistance unless perfectly uniform.
Assuming there’s no air and it went exactly straight up, it’d hit the point it was launched, nock first, at launch velocity.
What’ll actually happen is that it’ll come down somewhere nearby, point first, at about launch velocity, yes. Lose a bit to air resistance both ways. Assuming full draw, though, it’s still enough to kill a normal human.
I disagree. The Coriolis Effect would not allow for the arrow to land at the point where it was launched…assuming, of course, that the GA world rotates as most planets do…
BANDIT TO THE RESCUE!
Is it a spear?
Is it a sword?
It’s… a troll-sticker!
That reminds me, I need to reinstall Betrayal at Krondor. Also, regarding the alt-text, I assume that’s some silly WoW-ability?
You, you actually have a functioning copy of Betrayal at Krondor? I will need to kill you and take you game, you do realise this, don’t you? It’s the best game since Zorc.
You might want to google for it! There’s a pretty famous (at least since last year) legit online store that carries it. :) (Really trying not to advertise here.)
Yeah, it works.
Now, back to the story: Who wields the Troll-Sticker? My bet’s on Byron.
yes, Hearth represents your Hearthstone that everycharacter has. 10 Second cast, takes you home. I was actually in a dungeon where you only fight a Big ass Dragon(onyxia) The group failed horribly. I used my “Fade into background” ability while she was going around one shotting people and managed to teleport out.
Good times.
gotta love all of Harki’s facial expresions. Man, who knew a troll face could show everything so well
also, finally…
Who knew indeed.
“AMBUSH!” LOL
It isn’t until know I’ve noticed the gem enbedded in his belly. I am sure it has something to do with his regeneration too! Maybe.
Please, please not Best.
Come on, we all love to hate Best. I doubt it’s him, but his return is overdue.
Well, maybe Best would hope that, if he helped them, they’d have to “Payet” forward.
Gold Star.
You all think it’s Gravedust, Best, or Byron. You’re all so silly. It’s totally going to be Colonel Pornstache.
If so, I REALLY hope that they all turn to him, the comic closes up, and with a smirk he says “Money shot.”
I’m giving you my Gold Star, man. In fact, Phil, take note, Colonel Pornstache has to say that at some point. I’ll weep in joy.
At this point…I don’t care WHO it is, really.
I just want to see Harki in much pain and dismemberment and defeat.
And then the heroes can be the leaders of the Savage Races, by right of trial by combat!
YEEEEAH! Who’s getting chumped this time bitches?!?!
Silly warrior, you can’t use execute until harki is below 20% health. At least, I’m hoping its Byron, this may just be epic enough to make up for all that fail. Isn’t it time for some bad hero pun…. like, “Diplomacy may have failed, but I think he got the point”
oh c’mon. You *know* Syr’nj HAD to have done some alchemical nastiness to those arrows she fired off. Something to stifle the regen perhaps, so Harki can think he’s able to absorb damage rather than dodge it…until it’s too late?
If our revealed-elven royalty didn’t take the opportunity to mix some wicked philtres I’m gonna be sorely disappointed..for Science!
Is that gem in Hark’s body important in any way? or just decorative? you see part of it in the first panel.
It grants him the power to violently expel a spear from his chest at dramatic moments in battle.
He has yet to master not harming himself in the process. Logan might be able to teach him that.
“Practice makes perfect, bub.”
I was just thinking that, actually. “What if that’s just some sort of awesome magic skill of his, and he’s just sprouting a chest-blade to kill Syr with?” I mean, improbable to the point of being impossible, but that would be oh-so BADASS.
You watched too much Dragonball…
He shrugged those arrows off like they were nothing more than darts! Is he just that tough that tough, or do all orcs treat arrows as mere annoyances?
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnnoyingArrows
OH COME ON, BYRON. Stop being such a terrible Berserker. A REAL man would have just screamed bloody murder, tackled him to the ground when he turned around, and ripped his skull from his shoulders. With spine still attached. And then used the recently forged “Skull flail” to slaughter the fodder enemies.
ROGUES Backstab. Are you a ROGUE Byron?
Rogues do it from behind
perhaps he can’t yell, because he has a spear through a lung. also I hope this was a berserker body slam.
Hopefully he’ll take this lesson to heart.
Honestly, I think it’s Byron. Not solely because of any “berserk” ability (though he may possess such a state), but rather because of what we know about him; namely that he was the supposedly only survivor of the War That Felled Battleshire. The ONLY survivor.
This seems to suggest that he has supernatural fighting abilities. Or does it? Given what we’ve seen, no he doesn’t. He’s gotten his clock cleaned many, many times. Perhaps Byron isn’t a brilliant fighter, but a supernatural SURVIVOR. Maybe Harki isn’t the only one with magically fast healing going on. And maybe when Byron gets up after such a wound, he’s really, really mad. Mayhap some Troll blood of his own, perchance?
Awesome tat, Syr =D
Tribal tattoos: not just for Robbie Williams anymore. Thank god.
BWAHAHAHA! he says, while arrows are stuck in his shoulders.
That would hurt. A lot.
In soviet Russia, spears chuck you!
In Soviet Russia arrow shoots you
Since I’m basically allergic to speculation, I’ve decided that I’m going to wait ’till I see the prong and the serrations before falling in with the “Byron’s got Harki’s spear crowd.” With that said, that certainly does seem like the most likely/satisfying scenario.
My money was on Badit at first sense she was the only one not down for the count bun then someone pointed out that spear was still in Byrons back (Syr’nj didn’t have the strengh to pull it out, I doubt Badit does)
If this is Byron and he did in fact get up and pull that spear out of his back to impale the Troll… this comic will make me very happy!
We actually have no idea if Bandit’s stronger than Syr’nj. Nor anyone else for that matter.
Assuming she isn’t just because she’s smaller makes no sense in a fantasy setting.
On topic though, I will be a very happy person if that’s Byron on the other end of the spear.
Daaaaaaaamn, nice gang tats, ‘nyj. If yer lucky, maybe dem claws’ll leave a scar and you’ll get even more rep.
Just noticed, if he still has those sholderpads next comic, its only because the arrows are holding them on..
dunno if anyone said this, but I think that jewel is his weak spot
Technically, the word “berserker” doesn’t come from the word meaning “really, really, angry”. In fact, quite the opposite. A Bearsarkar, meaning someone wearing a bear sark (i.e., the pelt of a bear), eventually became (due to linguistic evolution) the word berserker, which lent itself to the phrase “going berserk”. Ergo, we can safely assume that the world of GA has metal bears from which the material that makes up Byron’s armor is taken.
Byron has been going by Berserker befor he got the armor, plus Frigg aleady referd to Berserker as “RWARWARWAR, ARGHLEBARGHLE Anger management issues Berserker”
Guess we just never seen Byron pissed off.
http://guildedage.net/webcomic/chapter-2/chapter-2-page-23/
*gasp* The Secret Princess?! The oldest fantasy cliche in the book and I totally didn’t see it coming
or if there was a secret princess, I was totally expecting it to be Frigg.
Did anyone else notice the gem om the trolls stomach? Gem Trolls! LOL oh nostalgia!
Just got back from a short trip to Mexico…must get up early for work tomorrow…will still be hanging around my computer at midnight-ish to see what happens. ;-)